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Forney ISD hears update from ESS as substitute fill rates climb to low 60s
Summary
District staff and ESS representatives said the district's partnership with ESS has increased substitute fill rates from about 48% to about 62%, onboarded hundreds of substitutes since August and converted dozens to district employees, while noting the district still aims for roughly 600 active substitutes.
Forney Independent School District trustees heard a detailed update on their substitute-teacher partnership with ESS (Education Management & Staffing Solutions), which the district began last fall to bolster classroom coverage.
Rick Gere, chief of human services, introduced ESS representatives who reported the program has onboarded 190 new substitutes since August, brought 129 existing district substitutes into the ESS system during the transition and now lists 271 active substitutes associated with the district. ESS said overall fill rates have climbed from roughly 48% before the partnership to about 62% since service began, with several recent days reaching the mid-70s.
Jenna Cruz, ESS vice president of operations, described hiring and retention activities: 28 orientations and targeted Forney-specific training sessions, local recruiting at apartment complexes, digital job postings and monthly engagement incentives for substitutes. ESS said 35 substitutes converted to full-time Forney ISD employment so far.
ESS representatives outlined a central hiring team assigned to accelerate recruitment and said the district and ESS are working to raise the active-substitute pool toward a target the company identified as roughly 600 to reliably meet daily needs. ESS cautioned the board that reaching a 90% fill rate would take sustained effort and additional hires, and said the central hiring team work will be provided at no additional cost to the district.
Board members and Superintendent Terry thanked ESS and district HR for the partnership and for operational coordination during the transition. Rick Gere and ESS staff answered questions about conversion of substitutes to district roles, morning coverage challenges and targeted recruitment events planned for the spring.
The district will continue monitoring fill-rate trends and the ESS team shared a planned timeline for incremental increases into the spring.
